Hide and Seek
by Seldom Seen Kid
Summary: Nick and Ellis song-fic: Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap. You see Nick's soft side and Ellis' true feelings. Not only by words. M to be safe.


Hai. :D  
This story involves the following:  
Character death.  
Nick's soft side.  
CEDA.  
Supernatural surroundings.

I would HIGHLY suggest you listen to this while you are reading. Makes the experience that much more enjoyable.  
.com/watch?v=Y4OLQB7ON9w

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING. All characters belong to VALVe and the song belongs to Imogen Heap.  
..Enjoy. :D

**/**

_Where are we? What the hell, is going on? The dust has only just begun to form. Crop circles in the carpet. _

Taking just a few short steps next to a group of three strangers, Nick knew, in the pit of his stomach, that he was going to have to see these three other people for, what could be, the last days of his life. Sticking with them through this sudden outbreak could be his only choice of survival. Even though he hated to think of trying to converse with people, he knew he needed to in order to live.

_Sinking, feeling. _

There's that feeling again. The feeling of emptiness. The sinking feeling of no hope once again gone. As if he had any hope left. The only hope he had was a kid. Never leaving his side, Ellis looked over at Nick to see the pained expression distorting his face. Nick felt those young eyes burn into him with more intensity than fire itself. He couldn't look over. He wouldn't. Not in this state.

"Well, looks like they left us without us. 'Gain," Coach said, the bulkiest man of the group. Sighing with a shake of his head, he left, heading towards the safe house conveniently provided for such an occasion. An occasion no one thought was going to occur.

Ellis and Nick were left alone to stare out into the horizon after Rochelle had joined Coach shortly after.

"Nick, I know what you're feeling. We'll find rescue. Even if it's the last thing we do. As long as we're together, we can't let them get to us," Ellis said, now inching towards him cautiously, sliding his hand on Nick's shoulder. Nick looked the opposite way from which Ellis was coming. He wanted to hide everything. He felt vulnerable. He felt exposed. He didn't want Ellis to see him like this. Ellis held the far side of Nick's face, bringing his head so it was lined up with his own. "I promise you, I will _not_ let them get to you," Ellis said, very slowly, emphasizing each word as he pressed their foreheads together, looking into Nick's now deep green eyes. He quickly closed them, pressing the tight, causing a tears to rip through them.

Nick only shook his head. Ellis pressed his hands on either side of Nick's face, foreheads still glued together. Ellis pulled the man into a tight, warm embrace. Hands made their way through his back as Nick leaned in closer, his face falling into the crack of Ellis' neck and shoulder. The younger man's hand slowly rubbed comforting circles to the back of the conman. Ellis held him close as Nick silently fell apart. Ellis closed his eyes and hummed as he slowly swayed, remembering what his Ma used to do when he was upset. Knowing his Ma was one of the ones that was ripped out his life, the only people he had were the ones with him right now.

Especially Nick. The most important person to him.

_Spin me around again and rub my eyes, this can't be happening. When busy streets, and a mess with people will stop to hold, their heads heavy. _

_Hide and seek. _

_Trains and sewing machines. All those years.. They were here first. _

They couldn't believe it. None of them could. They all has smiles on their faces as the happiest thing came about: they were about to get rescued. Rochelle was crying out to the sky as Coach was thanking the Lord. However, the other two couldn't seem to find any words. All of them intently watched the black dot in the sky quickly become an obvious helicopter ready to land. Nick looked at Ellis, a tear threatening to escape his eye. Nick watched as Ellis quickly became a blur. Nick refused to blink, causing the sight in front of him to go away. He didn't want to miss that smile on Ellis' face. Ellis turned to look at the older man, his own eyes holding their own tears. Ellis' eyes and smile said it all. "I told you so, Nick. We're gonn' be jus' fine."

Nick laughed, deciding to let Ellis gloat over this one. Ellis also gave a short laugh, stopping quickly as soon as he choked on some tears. The mechanic finally let his tears fall as he ran to Nick, throwing his arms around him, hugging him almost crushingly. Nick laughed once more, now letting his own tears fall from his eyes and almost cleansing his face. Washing away the blood and sweat, leaving wet spots in their path of cleanliness.

Nick didn't hesitate as he hugged Ellis back, smiling the whole time. They pulled away when the wind soon became more rushed, signaling them that the chopper was almost there. They could almost taste freedom from hell on their tongues.

Ellis took hold of his hat, sliding it off his head and placed it on his chest, gripping tightly around the fabric with his right hand. Nick smiled as Ellis' expression, wanting it to stay like this forever. He couldn't help but shake this feeling of a new relationship begin to grow. Nick boldly took the younger man's hand, interlacing their fingers together, never breaking his stare. Ellis felt the new warmth on his hand and followed the hand up to the white clothed arm, to the shoulder, neck, and then the face. The beautifully, scruffy face. The younger man squeezed the other's hand, letting him know he felt the same way.

"Get in, get in, get in!" a man yelled over the heavy whooshing of the blades. Rochelle and Coach both sprinted to the chopper, another man helping them in. Ellis and Nick gave each other one last look before Ellis pulled Nick along, running at top speed, not even controlling his excitement.

_Oily marks appear on walls, where pleasure moments hung before. The take over, the sweeping insensitivity of this, still life._

_Hide and seek._

_Trains and sewing machines. (Oh, you won't catch me around here.) _

_Blood and tears. They were here first. _

After checking every inch of everything on Nick's body, they finally released him into a room that had tons people, but also, he found Rochelle and Coach. _Ells?_ He asked himself as he jogged over to his former co-survivors and saw the look on their faces. Rochelle's look worried him most.

"What the hell? Where- where's Ellis?" Nick asked, heart beating frantically. Rochelle looked down, her elbow rested on her other arm which was tucked in tightly to her plain, white, baggy shirt, showing how skinny she'd gotten over the past few months.

Nick's eyes were boring into her, wanting an answer. He quickly moved onto Coach, asking him the same question with his eyes. Coach shook his head, beginning to answer, but Nick's eyes lingered on behind him. It was Ellis.

"Ellis!" Nick yelled at the top of his lungs, quickly running over to him. He was being dragged away by two CEDA workers. His feet dragging on the floor, fighting his best to break their grasp. The conman's heart sank as he took in the sight before him. "ELLIS!" He yelled even louder, seeing the kids face, red with sadness and anger.

"Nick!" He yelled back, furiously kicking and grunting. Nick, now running towards him, latched onto Ellis' waist, wrapping his arms around it, begging the CEDA men to release the man.

"Ellis, no," he whispered as Ellis was brought to a stop from the force Nick was pulling at him.

"Nick," Ellis breathed, eyes swollen and bloodshot. He had been crying, and hard. Nick could fell his own tears slipping their way out. Nick grabbed his head between his hands and kissed the younger man, eyes tightly closing, tears of his own mixing with Ellis'. Their first kiss wasn't like Nick had pictured it.

Both being pulled away from CEDA workers. Nick didn't let go, not just yet. He wanted to taste Ellis just a but longer. The kiss was rough from the rushed encounter, but it was filled with much passion. Much words that couldn't have been used from the lack of time they were given. Their lips moving in sync with each others. Even though Ellis couldn't do much but let Nick know what he was feeling with the movement of his lips.

Nick knew other's would pull him away. The kiss only lasted for a second or two, as they were both tugged away from one another. It was like everything was in slow motion. Ellis was still thrashing against the men pulling him in one direction. Nick was pulled back in the other. He, too, was flailing against the men taking him away from his new love. They both screamed out, calling each other's name, both sobbing uncontrollably.

"Get your _fucking_ hands off me, you assholes! He's not infected! He's fine!" Nick yelled, still trying to break the grasps of the men.

"NICK!" Ellis called out a last time before he was being pulled into a room forcibly.

"NO!" Nick screamed, knowing Ellis heard him. The last words of Nick he would hear. One of the CEDA men finally tackled the broken Nick to the floor, sticking a needle straight into his vein, making everything go black. Nick knew Rochelle and Coach were right there, watching him fall apart in front of their eyes. Nick shook his head every which way and closed his eyes. "No. He's fine," he told them one last time before everything went completely black.

_Mmm, what you say? _

_Mm, that you only meant well? Well, of course you did._

_Mmm, what you say? _

_Mm, that it's all for the best? Because it is. _

_Mmm, what you say?_

_Mm, that it's just what we need? You decided this. _

_What you say? _

_What did you say? _

Nick sat down on his bed in his temporary room, in God-knows-where. He hadn't done much of anything since they released him from the facilities' hospital. He just sat on the end of his full bed, wishing for someone to take his life away. He had nothing, or no one, to live for anyway, so why live in the first place?

God, if he would have known he'd survive a zombie apocalypse, fall in love with a man who was ripped away from him, and now going back the world which reeks of death, he would have just killed himself right then and there. I would have let a zombie eaten him to death. Hell, it would hurt worse than what he felt right now.

By now, he hadn't noticed his eyes began to burn. He blinked, but no such luck in helping them feel better. The only he'll feel better is if he would be with Ellis forever. Just then, the door to his room creaked open. He sniffled loudly, quickly stopping everything.

"Nick?" the voice wondered. Nick sighed in disappointment, noticing the voice was not Ellis'. He didn't care who's it was, but it wasn't Ellis'. The person slowly made their way over to his shuttering body wrapping a firm arm around him. "Nick. I couldn't tell you how horrible I feel. We're all upset that he was taken away from us. But Ro' and I knew that he had been.. bitten."

Nick just sat there, tears falling out of his eyes more frequent at the thoughts. Coach rubbed his shoulder and pulled him into a tight, side hug, wrapping his other arm around Nick. The conman didn't respond to this: he only sobbed harsher.

"Nick. They had to take him. He was going to become one of them. He didn't want to tell you, knowing how you'd react. Rochelle and I expected this. We were prepared and we were going to tell you right after you came out of that room. But CEDA beat us to it. Nick, I'm so _so_ sorry," Coach said, very apologetically. Nick's sobs slightly got louder as Coach talked more.

"How could they have taken him away? I kissed him. I didn't turn into one of those mindless freak. Why couldn't they have just shot me so I could live peacefully?" Nick asked, obviously frustrated at this. Coach shook his head.

"They got the venom out just in time. You're body has rid of the infection. You're the most immune person in this place," Coach told him, trying to boost his confidence. He somehow made the man more upset, causing him to use every muscle in his body to sob uncontrollably. He was shaking. He was shaking horribly. His breaths were coming out in gasps, trying to get oxygen into his brain. "Nick. Nick, come on. Breathe. Breathe Nick!" Coach said, getting more and more worried as time passed. Coach was about to get up to get help when Nick started talking.

"Don- don't you d-dare m-move. I-I want to- to die. I'm not go- going to walk this- Earth without- without Ellis," Nick sobbed out. "You save me- you-," he started, gasping. "you will die." Coach couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rochelle could. Luckily, she was standing at the door frame, watching the whole thing. She choked on her own sob while collecting some CEDA workers.

_Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth. Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts. _

_Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you. You don't care a bit, you don't care a bit. _

_Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth. Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts._

_Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you. You don't care a bit, you don't care, you don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. _

Walking into his old apartment, he never felt so empty. The place never felt so empty. He had no one, nothing was the same anymore.

Coach was still alive, only because he wasn't the one who saved him. It was Rochelle. Rochelle, the woman who knows everything. It bugged him before, but now he really hates it. She had saved his life even when they were safe. What bullshit.

Nick dully looked around his living room, vaguely remembering where everything had been. He'd almost forgot that he had just bought new bar stools for his bar. He quickly regretted it once he saw the condition they were in. Looks like someone used his place for a quick grab-'n- go weapon shop. Luckily, they didn't mess up much, just the stools which were oddly placed back where they originally were. He thinks.

With a sigh, he sat on his expensive, black leather couch and closed his eyes, thinking back to the only man he felt any sort of attraction for- Ellis. Although, he quickly opened his eyes as soon as he heard a glass shatter behind him. He jumped up with a rush of adrenaline and his eyes followed the source of the broken glass.

He slowly walked near it and thought about how it would have fallen. When no logical answer came to mind, his thoughts went to Ellis and a smile slowly danced its way on his face. Even though Ellis wasn't there, Ellis _was _there. For the first time in a long time, Nick smiled a genuine, tooth smile. He hoped Ellis would never leave him alone for once.

**/**

**A/N:** Okay, so this is my first story on here. :D  
Tell me if you liked it, if you didn't like it. Tell me about your day. Tell me about what you would like me to write next. Review, my little darlings.  
I shall love thee to death.


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